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Post-attack etiquette says when in Rome…

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CIOL Bureau
New Update

Anshuman Daga

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BANGALORE: For thousands of US-based ethnic Indians, it is not just business

that has been affected by the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Employers have turned cautious after some Asian ethnic groups including

Indians fell prey to suspicion and barbs after the attacks. Their advice to

staff: Be culturally sensitive, avoid heated political discussions and dress as

Americans do.

Some hate crimes against Indians have been compounded by media reports that

dealings with clients have become testier. Indian companies have moved fast to

contain potential damage. "It's better to be safe in the present

circumstances. We are making sure that (our employees) don't stick out like a

sore thumb," a spokesman for privately held Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),

India's largest software exporter, told Reuters.

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About 5,000 of the company's 16,000-strong workforce are based in the United

States. For nearly a decade Indian software workers, either employed by US

companies or Indian subsidiaries, have been at the heart of a technology-fed

boom in the US economy. The attacks changed the mood.

More than 10,000 employees of India's top five software exporters work in the

United States, the main market for the country's software services sector. Tens

of thousands of Indians work for US firms.

Most Indian software companies are being careful to make sure their workers

are sensitive to their US clients. Companies like TCS and i-flex Solutions Ltd.,

a privately held financial software firm, have asked their US employees to stick

to a Western dress code.

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"We have asked our staff not to get into any extreme public discussions

and behave like good corporate citizens," said Ganesh Natarajan, chief

executive officer of Zensar Technologies, just back from a week's visit to the

United States.

Caution



The United States has accounted for more than 60 per cent of India's software
exports, which crossed $6.2 billion in 2000/01 (April-March). "Everyone in

the US is exercising caution, especially the Asians," said R. Vidyasagar,

head of human resources at i-flex.

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"There is no major fear psychosis but we have asked our staff to be

careful," he said. Indian software firms cater to a diversified mix of

technology, banking and telecom companies, with staff employed at client sites.

"Our belief is that the US is an open society and we are very confident

of the American people's ability to help their customers and partners act in a

free and fair manner," said Hema Ravichandar, head of human resources at

Infosys Technologies , India's second largest software exporter.

Ravichandar said Infosys' US employees have been asked to carry

identification cards and related documents with them. "We are reinforcing

our message of heightened security and sensitivity to the geography our

employees are working in," she said.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

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